@*#( I'm sick of working on cars.

[StageLeft]

Really I am. It's why we got rid of our Max. This morning I have spent three hours replacing brakes that were replaced only two years ago (20k ago) on the van. And since the rear brakes are a combo disc/drum unit they were an absolute whore to get off because the drum was rusty/stuck to the inside of the rotor and it took forever hammering and splitting my ear drums.

So then I get the pads in and they seem to actually be a touch too large for the calipers. I put them in anyway and they're rubbing since they won't release properly and are hella stiff in the caliper slider part. But more to the point some horrendous squeak that was there before is still there now. Bearing? Drum pad? Fvck it, I am very close to buying a new car that has even less soul than my minivan. I hate blowing time of my life on this crap! And I still hate this damned white van because it's going to be a rusty sh*tbox in no time.

Thanks for listening, I do feel better

Moral of the story: Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line!

 

[Elfear]

Lol. I feel your pain Skoorb. After spending hours doing the work myself sometimes I scratch my head and wonder why I didn't pay someone to do it. Although working on a fun project car is a lot different.

 

[Jumpem]

This is one reason I am glad to be done with college and have a decent job. Just take it to the dealership for scheduled maintenance and whatever comes up. I hated trying to fix my own cars.

 

[Dirigible]

I reached the point of hating working on cars some time in the '80s. That is why I have someone else do all the work now. I don't give a damn if I could save money doing it myself.

 

[boomerang]

Really I am. It's why we got rid of our Max. This morning I have spent three hours replacing brakes that were replaced only two years ago (20k ago) on the van. And since the rear brakes are a combo disc/drum unit they were an absolute whore to get off because the drum was rusty/stuck to the inside of the rotor and it took forever hammering and splitting my ear drums.

So then I get the pads in and they seem to actually be a touch too large for the calipers. I put them in anyway and they're rubbing since they won't release properly and are hella stiff in the caliper slider part. But more to the point some horrendous squeak that was there before is still there now. Bearing? Drum pad? Fvck it, I am very close to buying a new car that has even less soul than my minivan. I hate blowing time of my life on this crap! And I still hate this damned white van because it's going to be a rusty sh*tbox in no time.

Thanks for listening, I do feel better

Moral of the story: Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line!

Iirc, you're leasing your Prius.

Your story is why I started leasing over 20 years ago. Drive it with a warranty and turn it in. Neat and tidy. My cars need only oil changes and tire rotations the entire time I have them.

 

[exdeath]

If it took me 3 hours to do brakes I would probably hate it to. I tend to shotgun repairs and make sure I complete each step with perfection so that if a problem remains I can move on to the next part with full confidence that the part I just completed can be ruled out forever.

When its finally resolved I know my car is 10 times better than it was when it left the factory.

 

[Jumpem]

Iirc, you're leasing your Prius.

Your story is why I started leasing over 20 years ago. Drive it with a warranty and turn it in. Neat and tidy. My cars need only oil changes and tire rotations the entire time I have them.

This. But I drive alot, so I get a 100k extended warranty and trade it in right before the warranty is up.

When we move to the neighborhood much closer to work we've been eyeing in a couple years I will definitely be leasing.

 

[boomerang]

This. But I drive alot, so I get a 100k extended warranty and trade it in right before the warranty is up.

When we move to the neighborhood much closer to work we've been eyeing in a couple years I will definitely be leasing.

You know, I continually forget that other people sometimes drive more than I do. It can be the deciding factor.

 

[Sluggo]

Gee, and to read this forum we have been lead to believe that a Maxima was the most awesome of all awesome rides and would make clear to 80,000 miles without self-destructing.

And now you come along and tell us you had to work on yours? :hmm:

 

[jlee]

Rust sucks.

 

[Jumpem]

Rust sucks.

Indeed. It makes me scared to keep a new vehicle more than three years.

 

[Gibson486]

Drum brakes? F that. Let the mechanic do it.

 

[CraigRT]

Drum brakes? F that. Let the mechanic do it.

They're not bad.
You disassemble one side, leaving the other intact for reference. Problem solved.

I do hate them, which is why I am swapping my Saturn over to rear disc as soon as I want to spend the $.

 

[Kroze]

That's why other than oil changes. I take my car to te mechanic.

 

[StageLeft]

Gee, and to read this forum we have been lead to believe that a Maxima was the most awesome of all awesome rides and would make clear to 80,000 miles without self-destructing.

And now you come along and tell us you had to work on yours? :hmm:

I only had to work on my Maxima once to clean it. Otherwise it didn't even burn GASOLINE, let alone oil.

The brakes on this van are utter fvcking RUBBISH. They are a disc brake for primary braking and drum for the handbrake. Thus when you work on the brakes there are TWO sources of possible work. I want to curb stomp who put these in the MPV.

 

[Squisher]

The brakes on this van are utter fvcking RUBBISH. They are a disc brake for primary braking and drum for the handbrake. Thus when you work on the brakes there are TWO sources of possible work. I want to curb stomp who put these in the MPV.

That is pretty standard for almost all rear disc brake setups. I've inspected the parking brakes to make sure they're working right, but so far I've never had to replace them. I would think they'd last a million miles because you never engage them until the vehicle is already stopped.

 

[StageLeft]

That is pretty standard for almost all rear disc brake setups. I've inspected the parking brakes to make sure they're working right, but so far I've never had to replace them. I would think they'd last a million miles because you never engage them until the vehicle is already stopped.

It sucks sh*t. My Maxima didn't have that crap. Adjusting them is a DEVIL because that screw thing is almost impossible to turn to adjust them, at least on the MPV. Last time I did them I actually took a pair of pliers and a dremel to make the pliers able to cut into the screw wheel for better grip, but now the wheel is caked with rust and won't move properly anyway and I'm getting vibrations with the new rotor. I'm doing runs with the handbrake on to wear down some of the shoe. I never use the handbrake and wouldn't even fix it but to trade this in (or at least get it inspected this december) it needs a handbrake. And seriously it was absolutely ridiculous how hard it was to take the rotors off with these things keeping it on there.

 

[kevman]

It's why we got rid of our Max.

I don't get it, I've had 2 maxima's and currently own an i35. I wouldn't consider them the type of cars that I've had to spend a lot of time wrenching on. Brakes (which give me about 50k miles ) and an occasional O2 sensors are pretty much it.

 

[Kroze]

My friend bought an 02 Maxima with 60k miles. He now have 120k and haven't done anything other than oil changes & basic maintenance.

- Exhaust was rusted so he have to replace it.
- Replaced the brakes & rotors.
- Tires

I can tell you that the car eat brakes & tires more often than other cars.

 

[StageLeft]

I don't get it, I've had 2 maxima's and currently own an i35. I wouldn't consider them the type of cars that I've had to spend a lot of time wrenching on. Brakes (which give me about 50k miles ) and an occasional O2 sensors are pretty much it.

I didn't spend much time; it was a reliable car. I've found as I have kids and other things to do my tolerance to fvck around for two evenings in a row or the first half of a Saturday has gone to almost nothing, though. If I got a dollar for each time the door to the house opens up, a kid pops out and starts talking and I say, "Go back inside, I'm busy" I'd retire.

I can tell you that the car eat brakes & tires more often than other cars.

My max seemed to love honking through tires, too, but that's likely because of how I drove it Brakes lasted longer than those on my MPV have. I did get over 100k out of the front and back OEM rotors, which I was pretty happy about.

 

[HarryLui]

Penetrating oil not available in Australia?

 

[StageLeft]

Penetrating oil not available in Australia?

Stuff is useless anyway; has never done me a lick of good at all.. I imagine it is available in Australia, but I don't live there

 

[hanoverphist]

penetrating oil takes patience and time, but it does work.

i enjoy working on vehicles, but it really does become a pain when you HAVE to do it. ive been faced with repairs i HAD to do to get to work or get kids to school and stuff, and it sucks. on a weekend ill spend hours fixing something i want to fix tho, it can be therapeutic as well as a decent afternoon spent with friends.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Throw money at the problem, i.e., get someone else to graze their knuckles while you watch TV/watch movie/go for a walk/bone wife, etc.

 

[jlee]

Stuff is useless anyway; has never done me a lick of good at all.. I imagine it is available in Australia, but I don't live there

Oh it works..., just not instantly. Let the tough stuff soak for a couple days ahead of time if you can.